Team Rudi wins Boise tourney

The temperature in the Boise area hovered near the century mark all weekend. But it had to go some to equal the heat generated by the Baker Team Rudi Legion bats.

Team Rudi (15-3 overall) scored 82 runs in six games at the Boise Firecracker Invitational baseball tournament, averaging almost 14 runs a contest.

“The boys did a great job of doing what they had to do to win ball games,” said Team Rudi coach Dan Blankenship.

“Everybody just kept pounding the baseball. You just never knew which kid in our lineup was going to hurt you.”

Team Rudi 14, Eagle 2

Stephen Talbot finished the game 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles to lead the win.

Trace Richardson and Cole Brown each slugged a two-run double in a four-run first inning.

Dekker Smith’s RBI single increased Team Rudi’s lead to 5-2 in the second.

Talbot added a two-run double, and Derek Blankenship a run-scoring single in the third.

Talbot added another two-run double, and Blankenship a sacrifice fly in a three-run fifth.

Blankenship had another two-run double, and Matt Gorrell a run-scoring ground out in the seventh.

Brown was the winning pitcher. Brown, Smith and Will Barr combined on a two-hitter, striking out eight.

Team Rudi    4    1    3    0    3    0        3 — 14

Eagle    0    2    0    0    0    0        0 —   2

Brown, Smith (6), Barr (7) and Gorrell. WP – Brown.

Team Rudi hits – Talbot 5, Blankenship 2, Smith, Richardson, Brown.

Team Rudi RBI – Talbot 4, Blankenship 4, Smith, Richardson 2, Brown 2, Gorrell.

2B – Talbot 2, Blankenship 2, Richardson, Brown.

Team Rudi 10, Seminoles 0

Team Rudi scored nine runs in the first inning to break the game open early.

Smith, Richardson and Talbot each drove in two runs in the inning. Talbot slugged a two-run homer.

Ty Everson, Blankenship and Barr each added one RBI.

Barr completed the scoring with a second-inning RBI double.

Barr also was the winning pitcher.

Boise    0    0    0    0    0    —    0

Team Rudi    9    1    0    0    x    —    10

Barr, C. Brown (4) and Gorrell. WP – Barr.

Team Rudi hits – Everson 3, Talbot 2, Blankenship 3, Smith, Gorrell, Richardson, Barr 2, J. Brown.

Team Rudi RBI – Everson, Talbot 2, Blankenship, Smith 2, Richardson 2, Barr.

2B – Barr. HR – Talbot.

Team Rudi 11, Capitals 4

Talbot and Blankenship each drove in three runs, and Matt Gorrell two.

Gorrell drove in two runs in a three-run first. Talbot and Blankenship plated runs in the second.

Talbot then drove a two-run triple to spark the third inning. Justin Durflinger added an RBI double, and Blankenship a sacrifice fly.

Everson pitched a complete game for the win.

Team Rudi    3    2    4    0    2    0        0 — 11

Boise    0    2    1    1    0    0        0 —   4

Everson and Gorrell. WP – Everson.

Team Rudi hits – Everson 2, Talbot 2, Blankenship, Smith, Gorrell 2, Durflinger 2, J. Brown.

Team Rudi RBI – Everson, Talbot 3, Blankenship 3, Gorrell 2, Durflinger.

2B – Everson, Gorrell, Durflinger. 3B – Everson, Talbot, Durflinger.

Team Rudi 9, Centennial 1

Smith led Team Rudi’s offense with three hits and two RBIs.

Blankenship added two hits and two RBIs, and Everson two hits and one RBI.

Gorrell threw the complete-game win.

Team Rudi    2    0    3    2    2    0          0 — 9

Centennial    0    0    1    0    0    0          0 — 1

Gorrell and Barr. WP – Gorrell.

Team Rudi hits – Everson 2, Talbot, Blankenship 2, Smith 3, Gorrell, Lay.

Team Rudi RBI – Everson, Blankenship 2, Smith 2, Gorrell.

2B – Lay. 3B – Everson, Smith.

Team Rudi 21, Columbia 1

Columbia scored first in the first inning. Then the bottom fell out.

Baker scored nine runs in the second, and 10 more in the third.

In the second, Blankenship’s three-run triple led the way. In the third, Jesse Brown belted a two-run single, and Gorrell a two-run double.

Durflinger was the winning pitcher.

Team Rudi    0    9    10    2    0    —    21

Columbia    1    0    0    0    0    —    1

Durflinger, Lay (4) and Barr, Gorrell (4). WP – Durflinger.

Team Rudi hits – Everson 3, Talbot 2, Blankenship 2, Smith 3, Gorrell, Richardson, J. Brown.

Team Rudi RBI – Everson 2, Talbot 3, Blankenship 4, Smith 2, Gorrell 2, Richardson 2, J. Brown 3.

2B – Everson 2, Smith 2, Gorrell. 3B – Blankenship.

Team Rudi 17, Pocatello 14

Six games in three days took its toll on the Diamondbacks’ pitching.

“My plan was to save Derek and Dekker for the championship game,” Blankenship said. “Then Derek’s back started bothering him again and we went up big, so we just started running people out there.”

Smith started and went two innings. Coleman Lay, Barr and Anthony Shankle followed Smith to the mound.

Talbot and Brown each drove in three runs. Richardson and Everson each added two RBIs.

Pocatello    2    3    0    3    3    3        0 — 14

Team Rudi    8    5    2    0    0    2        x — 17

Smith, Lay (3), Barr (5), Shankle (6) and Gorrell. WP – Smith.

Team Rudi hits – Everson 2, Talbot 2, Blankenship, Smith, Richardson 2, Barr 2, J. Brown 2.

Team Rudi RBI – Everson 2, Talbot 3, Blankenship, Richardson 2, Barr, J. Brown 3, Gorrell.

2B – Talbot, Richardson, Barr.

Wooden bats next

Team Rudi will host its annual Wooden Bat Tournament Friday through Sunday at the Baker Sports Complex.

Team Rudi plays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The championship game is set for 11:45 a.m. Sunday.